The document proposes an online executive education community and virtual learning environment called the Executive Education Center. It would provide personalized student spaces, course-specific networking and resources, social networking between students, and a social knowledge base for sharing information. The community would be supported by services like communication tools, course materials, and progress tracking to enhance the online education experience.

1. Executive Education Center High Level Concept

2. Introduction Soft Format is an online business consultancy and innovative community-based solutions provider; Our business experience is successfully supplemented with the visions provided by our Research & Development department; Our technological capabilities are supported by experienced pool of IT specialists and the advanced software platform for developing the community-based online solutions; We offer using social communications for enhancing the business model of the executive education and enabling 24/7 communication with your students. Soft Format sees its mission in helping our customers to harness the full potential of new opportunities, which are becoming available on the cutting edge of business and technological innovations. We are introducing the online Executive Education concept, which will enable Your Company enhance your online presence and better leverage the business opportunities that Web 2.0 gives.

3. Our Services Assistance in development of your program-specific strategy of online community and integration of such a community into your online activities/business; Implementation of an online community infrastructure for your business utilizing solutions from our CommLine Solutions Suite (CommSquare) System integration to ensure the interoperability between your existing and future web solutions Custom development and/or aggregation of the online value-added services, web site designs, tools and products for your online activities; Maintenance and on-going support of your online community-based solution. Business Idea Platform Customizatio n What You Need is What You Get

4. Marketing Preconditions Global competition, globalization, rampant change and extremely fast flow of information and communication Internet and technologies are integral part of the everyday life of average user; Requirements for building and managing a successful business are altered by technological innovations; Consumer has adjusted to this quicker pace and his fickle preferences are revised with the speed of a television commercial. Changes That Call For a New e-Business Model The Walkman TM case is already the sample of leadership tactics on the market, which is now achievable for not only the global corporation, but also for SMEs. “ It’s not the big – that eats the small; it’s the fast that eats the slow”. Information Networking Globalization Convergence Change Dynamics

5. Why do you need community? At the end of last year, Time named "You" its Person of the Year "for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game.“ Earlier in the year, Newsweek described such sites as Flickr , MySpace , Craigslist , Digg , and YouTube as "putting the 'We' in the Web.“ The business "thought leader" Tim O'Reilly has termed these new social-network sites "Web 2.0," suggesting that they represent the next phase in the digital revolution -- no longer about the technologies per se but about the communities that have grown up around them. Some are even describing immersive online game worlds such as Second Life as the beginnings of Web 3.0. The ‘always on’ culture of internet access resulting from broadband adoption, combined with the fact that more and more people are now sharing ideas through blogs, wikis, messaging and other online tools, is creating a critical mass of connectivity that is driving innovation. All of this talk reflects changes that cut across culture and commerce, technology and social organization. Over the past three years, we have seen an exciting convergence of tools, ideas and networks under the labels Web 2.0 and ‘social software’ or social media. Now, we are starting to see this innovation on the consumer internet translated into a new approach to the use of online technology in supporting work and education, which has huge potential for positive change.

6. General Community Statistics Social Networking Gold Rush: November 2005 - News Corp. drew a lot of attention for paying $580 million to acquire Internet sensation MySpace . April 2006 There's the $800 million acquisition offer from Yahoo that Facebook reportedly rejected, the $2 billion Facebook wants and the $25 million in venture capital Facebook got from Greylock Partners in April October 9, 2006 - Google Inc. announced today that it has agreed to acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. Buy a Network: MySpace : $15 billion latest Wall Street valuation, courtesy of RBC Capital YouTube : $1.5 billion latest valuation, courtesy of New York Post Facebook : $1 billion latest valuation, courtesy of Wall Street Journal Digg : $200 million valuation, courtesy of Business Week How consumers responded to the survey question: "If the following were available on a social-networking website, which would you likely do this holiday season?" Find out about store sales/product discounts: 51% Download coupons: 51% Search for gift ideas: 47% Buy products: 29% Post or view videos: 20% Read or write product review on blog: 18% None of the above: 12% **Does not total 100% due to multiple responses Source: American Marketing Association online Nov. 9-12 survey of 1,098 consumers. Margin of error is ±2.5 percentage points. 11/23/2006

7. Virtual Learning Environment

8. Executive Education Community

9. User Personal Space Customizable Student’s Back Office; Modifiable personal site structure; Ability to select and customize the design from the set of predefined templates or develop your own; Ability to add personal content (information, photos, video, audio); Delimited access to personal content; Ability to manage personal network structure and personal contacts; Ability to initiate/join groups by interest and participate in groups activities Ability to add and manage personal course data Ability to manage and track course progress Personal Development Planning Personal calendar for managing personal and course events with option to share events with other members Ability to create a personal knowledge library (both external resources e.g. links, hardcopy books list, etc and internal e.g. files uploaded to the library) Ability to directly contribute to the social knowledge base or add resources from personal library Ability to establish connections with non-student members of the community (e.g. alumni) Advanced means (blog, message board, internal mail, IM, Skype. etc) for communication with all users (students, tutors, alumni, etc) on all levels of the system Classifieds

10. Course-specific networking Real time shared brainstorming and resources sharing Real time and regular joint discussions by course levels and categories Participation in course-specific group communications course-specific public blog group forum message board group advertising group Help Wanted group ratings and recommendations, etc Use and contribute to Social Knowledge Base (Wiki-style) of the course Indirect means of communication and social services rating of products / topics / users / tutors / etc community scheduler contest / polls participation social search mechanism social quality control, etc Direct communication with system members (students, tutors) on course issues Course-specific classifieds, events and news management Joint and personal curriculum and agenda management (seminars, workshops, lectures, etc) Access course materials (e.g. course papers, tests, self-assessment exercises, etc ) Track course and personal progress

11. Students networking Add other students to your friends list Establish communication channels with the students utilizing the advanced communication means (personal blog, message board, internal mail, IM, Skype. etc) Create personal groups and invite other students Create your class group with limited access for class members only Create and manage class media gallery (photos, videos, audio, etc) Create and publish class newsletter, podcasts, etc Create and manage class classifieds Create and manage fraternity, groups, etc with all functionality available for a Class, plus membership management options Create a group site within the education portal

12. Social-knowledge base Creating the social knowledge base on the basis of the internal resources of each member Adding knowledge elements from the personal library pool Adding knowledge elements from the group library pool Importing knowledge elements from external resources Voting and ranking of the knowledge elements Verification and confirmation of knowledge elements Editing and adjustment of the confirmed knowledge elements, if needed Delimitation of the knowledge base access, if needed Utilization of the Social Knowledge Base upon completion of studying (alumni service) Integration of the Knowledge Base into other services

13. Personal & business networking Find a job; Recruit personnel; Find new leads; Select vendors; Establish partnerships; Search for venture capital; Get business advice; Get recommendation; Promote your business in community; Find a place to stay or a room-mate to share accommodation with; Find a date; Find an event partner; Find a travel partner; Organize, announce and promote business and personal events; Find a hobby/sport partner; Find personal services recommended by your trusted connections.

14. Community Portal Inside the university (Virtual tour, facilities description) with social comments and guidelines Information for students Admission info Financial info + 3d party services (e.g. loans, etc) Application resources (downloads, advices, recommendations, etc) Courses (information, testimonials with ability to ask a REAL person who attended, etc) About university History Staff (personal profiles, ability to contact, personal blog, etc) Tutors (personal profiles, feedback, rates, ability to contact, personal blog etc) Media (video, visual, audio to provide more info on activities, charity, etc) University blog (by authorities, by staff, etc) Resources (digital resources for students, also utilizes part of the Social Knowledge Base) Alumni (all informational load as above + personal site of the alumni with all functionality of the personal space) Announcements + RSS Events + RSS E-Magazine (generated and published by university, there can also be a social e-magazine by student groups) Social Newspaper + RSS (generated by university students) Social Gallery (images, video and audio from members resources with option for rating, voting, etc ) University TV University podcasts (incl. video) Calendar (events announced and arranged by university) ezFAQ (socialy generated and moderated by university FAQ)

15. Contacts Soft Format LLC pr. Hrushevskoho, 30 Lutsk, 43005, Ukraine Phone: 380.332.770091 Fax: 380.332.776367 Email: o.kutsevych@soft-format.com www.soft-format.com